


Stay Alive

by StarGazer333



Category: Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, Stranger Things (TV 2016), The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield Have a Good Relationship, Crossover, Eleven | Jane Hopper Without Powers, F/M, Gen, No Hunger Games Characters, Only Stranger Things Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-13
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25872334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarGazer333/pseuds/StarGazer333
Summary: The Stranger Things gang has been reaped into the Hunger Games. They will do anything to survive... But there can only be one victor.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler
Kudos: 8





	1. Happy Hunger Games

**Author's Note:**

> I started this fic a year ago and have since worked on it sporadically. I recently decided to finish it - I couldn't just leave it hanging at Chapter 6. So expect it to come to a close in the near future!

A young man followed his mother and little brother. He glanced at a Peacekeeper overlooking the citizens of District 12 as they made their way to the Justice Building, where soon, the Reaping would take place once again. When he reached the Justice Building, the young man realized he had lost sight of his mother and brother. “Over here, Jonathan,” said his mother. Jonathan joined them near the front of the crowd.

Once everyone stood before the Justice Building, a woman with neon green hair spoke. “Happy Hunger Games! Without further ado, let’s begin. Oh - and may the odds be ever in your favor.” The woman reached into a glass ball and dug around in it for a few moments before pulling out a slip of paper, which she unfolded. “Suzie Slater!”

No one moved. “Come on up, Suzie.” Jonathan then located Suzie as she walked up to the woman, her eyes full of tears. “All right, next the boys!”

It took considerably longer for the woman to choose the boy, which irritated Jonathan. Finally she read the name. “William Byers!”

“No!” Joyce held Will against her, and as Peacekeepers approached her, Jonathan intervened.

“I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!”

Silence. Then, “Jonathan, no, you can’t - ”

“Yes I can,” Jonathan said, cutting Joyce off.

“Okay then, it appears we have a volunteer…” said the green-haired woman as Jonathan took his place beside her. She cleared her throat. “I give you the District 12 tributes!”

Jonathan gave Will a look that he hoped said, “It’ll be okay. I’ll be fine.” But as Peacekeepers nudged him and Suzie into the Justice Building, he wasn’t sure Will got the message. He felt a lump in his pocket and managed to smile for a split second. It was a rock Will gave him that morning that Will said would give him luck.

The odds were definitely not in his favor, but he would try to make it to the end - for Will.


	2. Make an Impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The tributes get interviewed by Murray the day before the Games begin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, your master of ceremonies, Murray Bauman!”

The applause from the auditorium just beyond intimidated Jonathan even more than his private session with the head gamemaker, Martin Brenner did. He received a training score of eight for demonstrating his skill with camouflage, which was average, but he was satisfied with it.

Suzie tugged at the sleeve of his suit. “We have to make an impression,” she reminded him. “It’s the only way we’re going to get sponsors.”

“We already did at the Tribute Parade, don’t you think?” Jonathan said.

“Yes, but we have to keep it up. That’s all I’m saying.” The girl’s confidence surprised Jonathan. He wished they could both win, but of course, the games didn’t work that way.

The female District 1 tribute, Carol, strode past them as the applause for her subsided. She wore a dress that made her look like a queen. Jonathan was used to the ridiculous outfits the Capitol took such pride in. As much as he despised his suit, not to mention participating in all the events that preceded the games, he was ready to pretend.

****

*** * * * ***

“I must say, Steve, you look dashing in that tux. And how does your hair do that?”

“It’s a secret,” Steve said jokingly. The crowd laughed.

“So Steve - you received a training score of ten. That’s not bad, not bad at all, am I right?”

“I’m happy with it. I didn’t expect it to be that good.”

“Well, we did. Didn’t we?” The crowd exploded. Steve looked at the people screaming his name, trying to get his attention, and wondered how they could be so obsessed with him when he was probably going to die a gruesome death the following day.

****

*** * * * ***

Nancy took her seat across from Murray. “I think we can all agree, we were shocked when your brother was chosen as the other District 7 tribute.”

“Yeah, so was I.”

“I’m curious, Nancy, what do you think about living in the Capitol?”

“It’s definitely different. Much… cleaner,” Nancy said with a nervous laugh. The crowd laughed with her. “And it isn’t surrounded by trees.”

“That it isn’t. So tell us - do you have someone waiting for you back home?” Murray inquired with a grin.

“You mean a boyfriend? No.”

“Really? Well that’s hardly believable.”

“No really, there’s no one.” Nancy was telling the truth, but she did have eyes for Jonathan. She could tell he was masking fear and rage just like she was. If she could choose one tribute to become allies with in the arena, it would be him.

****

*** * * * ***

“And now from District 12, Jonathan!” Jonathan walked onto the stage and was slightly taken aback by the applause and cheering. He was relieved people liked him, and realized Suzie was right - they had to keep it up. Murray looked at the audience too. “I don’t know about you folks, but I got a little teary when Jonathan volunteered for his brother.” There were murmurs of agreement. “It was truly heart-rending.”

“Oh, well, I did what I had to do,” Jonathan said quietly.

“I have a somewhat… personal question for you. Did he say goodbye to you?”

“Yes.”

“And what did you say to him?”

Jonathan swallowed. “I told him I would try to win. For him.”

The crowd remained silent. “Indeed you will.” Murray stood and Jonathan followed suit. “Ladies and gentlemen, Jonathan Byers!”

Jonathan walked off the stage. On his way to the elevator his heart sank as it struck him that the odds were still not in his favor. He may have earned a few sponsors, but he was from District 12, and it was the Careers from Districts 1, 2 and 4 who almost always won the games. He knew what his strategy would be, but was beginning to doubt it would work in the end.


	3. At Least We're Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Games begin.

El’s stylist zipped up her light coat. She placed her hands on El’s shoulders. “It’s waterproof,” she said. “So you can expect some kind of body of water.”

El nodded and embraced her stylist, all the while trembling. “Thank you, Kali… for everything.”

“You’re special,” said Kali as they released each other. “You can win. I know you can.”

El jumped as the countdown began. She looked desperately at Kali, then approached the tube that would send her up to the arena. “Seven. Six…”

Once in the tube, El turned around to face Kali, who mouthed “You can win.” She was sent up into darkness, which was soon replaced by bright light. She took in the arena - the tall grass surrounding her pedestal, the cliffside that towered over her, and the Cornucopia, which was in the middle of a shallow river. Some of the other tributes were panicking, others appeared ready to kill.

The countdown began. El wrongly assumed she could immediately run as far away from the Cornucopia and other tributes as possible, but they were trapped in a canyon that looked like it went on for miles. When the countdown reached one, most of the tributes ran to the Cornucopia, but El sprinted away from it. She heard screams from behind her but dared not look back.

When her legs started burning she finally stopped and turned around. The Cornucopia was out of sight, and the river was all she could hear. But considering there were only two directions to go from the Cornucopia, there were undoubtedly tributes on her tail. She was determined to stay ahead of them, so she continued running as fast as her burning legs allowed her to.

****

*** * * * ***

Jonathan was already implementing his strategy. He had found a secluded area along the cliffside that was enclosed by willows, and was sitting in the grass, panting. He managed to pick up a very small bag before running off, but witnessed Suzie get stabbed several times as he did so.

A canon went off, followed by another, indicating two more tributes had fallen. Jonathan opened the bag, which contained some rope and a water bottle. The rope was practically useless as he knew nothing about tying knots, which was Suzie’s specialty. The water bottle, on the other hand, would allow him to conserve water rather than make multiple trips to the river. His goal, after all, was to remain unnoticed throughout the entirety of the games.

Shouting from nearby made his ears perk up.

****

*** * * * ***

“Shoot ‘em down, Carol!”

“I’m trying!”

“Do I have to do everything myself?”

Tommy took Carol’s bow and an arrow and aimed at Nancy, who was clinging to the cliffside. Behind them stood Steve, watching.

Mike was slightly higher up than Nancy - they were trying to reach a cave. “We have to keep going!” he yelled.

“I don’t think I can!”

Mike looked down and saw Nancy struggling with her footing. Before Tommy released the arrow, Steve put a hand on his arm. “Let me try,” he said.

“I swear, if you don’t get one of them…” Tommy fumed as he handed Steve the bow and arrow. He aimed ever-so-slightly to the left of Nancy’s head, which was exactly where the arrow went.

“Come on, Nancy!” screamed Mike. She found a foothold and continued climbing.

“I’ll get her this time,” Steve assured an enraged Tommy. He nocked another arrow, but didn’t release it until Nancy and Mike were mere feet from the cave entrance. It struck the rock wall just to the right of Nancy’s elbow.

“Dammit!” Tommy kicked the dirt as Nancy and Mike lifted themselves onto the ledge and disappeared. “I thought you were the archery expert, Harrington!”

“It’s hard when the target is moving,” Steve muttered.

“Let’s just start a fire,” Carol sighed.

Forty feet above, Nancy and Mike leaned against the cave wall and caught their breath. It was more a nook than a cave, but it provided shelter nonetheless. “Great, now the Careers know we’re here,” Nancy said.

“At least we’re alive,” Mike pointed out.

“Yeah, but now we’re trapped here.” After a few minutes of listening to Tommy and Carol bicker over how to start a fire, Nancy said, “We’re luckier than them.”

“What do you mean?”

“All the other tributes are alone. Well - until they start forming alliances. But we already know each other.”

“True.” Mike smiled faintly and started shivering. “I wish we could start a fire up here…”

Panem’s national anthem started playing, and Nancy and Mike watched as the dead tributes’ faces appeared in the sky. Nancy recognized a few - the District 3 boy with curly brown hair and no front teeth, the District 12 girl and six others. “We should take turns sleeping,” Nancy said. “They might try to come up here.”

“If they do, what are we supposed to do about it? We don’t have any weapons.”

Nancy picked up a rock the size of her head. “We have these.”

“Can I be the first to sleep?” Mike asked with a yawn.

“Sure. I’ll wake you up in a couple hours.” Mike closed his eyes and Nancy watched as his shivering became less convulsive. She listened to the Careers talk about hunting down more tributes in the morning. _Good, they’ll be gone,_ she thought.

She noticed that the one who shot at her twice remained oddly silent. Tommy referred to him as “the archery expert,” which led Nancy to wonder whether he missed on purpose. Perhaps he was on their side, but if true, that begged the question - why was he with the Careers?


	4. Safety In Numbers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max and Billy form an alliance and El receives a gift from a sponsor.

For the past seven hours, Max had been asleep high in a pine tree. She blinked her eyes open. Yesterday was full of blood, some of which she shed - the District 3 and District 9 boys were her kills. After she had what she needed from the Cornucopia, she followed the river for what seemed like hours before discovering a landslide, which was really a way to get to the top of the cliff.

She heard movement and instinctively unsheathed one of her knives. The boy wandering below was from District 10 and, like Max, received a training score of eleven. He held what appeared to be a slingshot.

Max threw her knife at Lucas, but missed his neck by inches. “Shit…” As she frantically unsheathed another knife, he saw her, picked up the knife and bolted. “Shit!” As she watched him disappear through the trees, Max’s stomach growled. She obtained five knives, a backpack, a water bottle and a matchbox from the Cornucopia, but no food. Her stomach growled again. “Shut up…”

She carefully descended the tree and made her way to the edge of the cliff, where the day before she saw some blueberry bushes. She started collecting them in her hand.

“I wouldn’t eat those if I were you.” Max spun around to face the District 11 boy, who wielded an axe. During training, Max overheard him say her knife-throwing skills were “mediocre.”

“Why not? Also why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance?”

“Those are nightlock berries. You’d be dead in seconds,” said the young man. “I saw you at the Cornucopia and, well, I guess I underestimated you.”

“Yeah, I guess you did. Get to the point.”

“I propose an alliance.”

Max raised her eyebrows. “Why, exactly?”

“Safety in numbers, am I right?”

“Fine. You did just save my life, so…”

“I have food by the way. Here.” The young man held out an apple.

“Thanks. Well, if we’re going to be in this together, I may as well know your name.”

“Billy. You’re Maxine, right?”

“Keep calling me that and we’re going to have a problem. It’s Max.”

“Got it.”

“Hm… Why don’t we head to the landslide?” Max suggested. “It’s the only way to get up here, that I know of anyway. If anyone else finds it, we’ll be waiting for them.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Max looked at the berries in her hand. “Keep them, they might be useful later on.”

“How?”

“You never know.”

And so the two of them hiked along the edge of the cliff toward the landslide, where they would be ready for any tributes unlucky enough to walk into their trap.

*** * * * ***

It was impossible for El to sleep the previous night. She was near the edge of the arena and could safely assume there were no tributes in the vicinity, but there were other threats that she had seen slaughter tributes in their sleep in previous games - freezing temperatures, acid rain and mutts were just a few. Sleeping was risky, and she refused to take any risks.

A loud beeping from overhead interrupted her thoughts. Her heart lifted when she realized what it was - a gift from a sponsor. Two boxes attached to a silver silk parachute landed in front of her, one much larger than the other. She opened this one first and stared at its contents - a bow and quiver of arrows. A small note was attached that read,

_Thought you might like this._

_-Hopper_

El smirked as she opened the second box, which contained two warm waffles and a small bottle of syrup. She laughed when she read the note.

_Your favorite._

“Thank you,” she said, knowing Hopper was watching. She devoured the waffles and then picked up her bow. It was the only weapon she was comfortable using, and she had decent aim. With it the odds were very much in her favor, and she knew this. So she swung the quiver over her shoulder and marched back to the Cornucopia. 


	5. Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve joins Max and Billy and a feast is announced for the next morning.

A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence, followed by a canon.

“Why don’t you get us some water, Harrington.” Tommy tossed Steve a water bottle, which he took downstream, toward where he thought the scream came from. He didn’t know how, but it sounded familiar.

In the distance, the landslide came into view. Finally, Steve had an opportunity to abandon Tommy and Carol. He was sick of being a Career, but now he had an easy way out of the canyon. He found something quite unsettling at the base of the landslide - the body of the other District 4 tribute. “Robin?” He fell to his knees by her side and looked back and forth between her glassy, unmoving eyes and the knife in her chest. “Robin…!”

Steve befriended Robin years ago. She was the only person who kept him sane as they prepared for the games. During training, they made each other laugh until it hurt multiple times. There was nothing in the world that could break their friendship.

“Wait… He’s a friend.”

Steve saw Billy and Max in the bushes at the top of the landslide. “Did you do this?” he demanded of Billy.

“No. I didn’t realize it was her… I’m sorry,” said Billy as he and Max skidded down the landslide. “But hey… Glad you made it this far.”

Steve couldn’t take his eyes off the knives clipped to Max’s pant pocket. “It was you then.”

Max swallowed. “Yeah.”

“Harrington!” bellowed Tommy.

“I should go.”

“You’ve been with the Careers?” inquired Billy, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Yeah, but I’m leaving them.”

“You could join us,” Billy offered.

“Or,” Max chimed in, “You could squeeze some juice out of these and put it in their water.” Steve’s eyes widened at the sight of the berries in the side pocket of Max’s backpack.

“Are those…”

Max nodded. “Nightlock.”

“HARRINGTON!”

Steve looked back - he had to act quickly. “Give me some.”

*** * * * ***

“Took you long enough.”

Steve handed Tommy the water bottle. “Sorry.” He tried to look like he wasn’t anxiously waiting for Tommy to drink. It dawned on him that for Max’s plan to work, Carol would have to drink immediately after Tommy. His palms started sweating as Tommy removed the lid and took a sip, which became two, until he had consumed half the water.

“Jesus Tommy, leave some for me!”

“Oh. Sorry.”

As Carol took a quick sip, Tommy coughed a couple times. He then collapsed and started wheezing. Within ten seconds, his wheezing faded into silence. Two canons went off in quick succession.

“I’ll be damned, it worked.” Steve took one last look at the two of them before returning to Billy and Max.

*** * * * ***

Nancy and Mike were still in the nook, but they were starving and dehydrated. An announcement echoed throughout the arena. “Attention tributes, attention. There will be a feast tomorrow at the Cornucopia, commencing at sunrise. That is all.”

“I’m going,” Nancy said.

“So am I.”

“No, you’re not. You’re going to wait here for me to come back with food and water.”

“You realize what a feast is, don’t you?” Mike said. “It’s a bloodbath.”

“All the more reason for you to stay. Besides, it’s also an opportunity to get supplies.”

“And what if you don’t come back?”

“I will.”

“How can you be so certain? The Careers are probably guarding the Cornucopia right now, and in case you’ve forgotten, we have no weapons.”

“Weapons aren’t necessary to win the Hunger Games,” Nancy said. “It’s been done without them.”

“I just - I don’t want you to go,” Mike said desperately.

“We don’t have much of a choice. We either die here or I take a risk and go.”

They were interrupted by the anthem blaring. The faces of Robin, Tommy, Carol, the District 6 girl and the District 8 boy appeared one after the other in the sky. “Wait - weren’t two of those Careers?” Mike inquired.

“Yeah. Maybe the Careers won’t be guarding the Cornucopia after all,” Nancy said. “Let’s get some sleep.”

Mike scooted closer to Nancy. “Be careful at the feast, okay?”

“Don’t worry about me - I’ll be fine.”

“Do you promise?”

“Promise.”


	6. It's a Bloodbath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy witnesses two deaths at the Cornucopia and forms an unlikely alliance.

As the morning light illuminated the canyon, Nancy made her way to the Cornucopia. She promised Mike she would return to him, but knew deep down that she might not. There was no way of knowing what would happen at the feast.

Through the willows, an unnatural shade of purple caught Nancy’s eye. She cautiously approached it, getting poked and scratched by branches as she did so. Eventually she reached a small clearing in which Jonathan was slouched against the base of the cliff, his eyes half open. His purple water bottle stood in the grass near him.

He lifted his head and made eye-contact with Nancy as she kneeled in front of him. “I’m going to the feast,” she said. “If I make it out alive, I’ll bring you some food, okay?”

Jonathan nodded weakly and whispered, “Thank you…”

Before Nancy disappeared into the forest of willows she said, “I’ll be back soon, hopefully. In the meantime, don’t die.”

*** * * * ***

When the Cornucopia came into view, Nancy took cover and assessed the situation. She saw one familiar face - Steve - along with two she didn’t recognize. They appeared to be guarding the mountain of supplies at the mouth of the Cornucopia.

“Great…” she said under her breath, realizing how foolish she was to assume there would be no obstacles between her and the nourishment she now needed for Jonathan as well as Mike and herself. Mike’s voice came to her in her head. “You realize what a feast is, don’t you? It’s a bloodbath.” She suddenly became aware of her trembling hands and rapid heartbeat.

“Billy!”

The red-haired girl’s scream caught Nancy off guard. She watched as Billy stumbled as if he had just taken a blow to the gut before collapsing. Max kneeled beside him. “Billy…!” Steve was running around frantically, much like a headless chicken, Nancy thought. Despite the fact that she had no idea what was happening - and that she was participating in the Hunger Games - she smirked. Watching this chaos ensue was somehow hilarious.

But then Steve cried out in agony, and fell to his knees. That’s when Nancy saw the arrow in his chest, and then, stealthily coming out of the willows nearby, El, her bow drawn and aimed at Max. But Max realized she was next in line, scrambled to her feet and fled, disappearing behind the mountain of supplies just as El released the arrow.

Nancy stared wide-eyed at El. She remembered her from training, how her only notable skills were in archery. Evidently, they were enough for her to get by. Nancy concealed her entire body behind a particularly dense patch of willows, but snapped a few twigs in the process. She remained still and silent, hoping that El didn’t notice, or if she did, that she wouldn’t investigate. But the crunching of leaves from behind her confirmed that that was not the case.

She held her breath, listening to the leaf-crunching come gradually closer. She was completely defenseless and could not run as that would immediately give away her presence. If it was a random tribute with a bow hunting her down, she would run, but given how easily El killed Billy and Steve – the latter as he was running – Nancy knew that El shrugging off the twig-snapping as nothing would be her only hope.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” said El.

Nancy had never been so frightened in her entire life. She just needed food for Mike and Jonathan – that was the only reason she was there. “W-Well, in that case, you’ll let me get what I need from the Cornucopia, w-won’t you?”

“Yes. I just need to know… Is he alive?”


	7. Good Luck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy and El get food for Jonathan and Mike and Max bumps into Lucas again.

El felt like a queen in the games rather than an idle pawn - a threat, and it was exhilarating. She felt like she had a chance of winning, whereas before her death seemed inevitable. It took killing Billy and Steve in quick succession for her to realize just how capable she was with a bow.

But she couldn’t kill Nancy, the sister of the boy she fell in love with during training. It was a blessing and a curse, falling for Mike. While he gave her something to think about other than how and when she would die, there were times she told herself to stop talking to him - after all, they were both likely going to die shortly after the games began.

And yet El still stood. She waited with bated breath for Nancy to answer her question. “Is who alive? Mike?”

“Yes.”

“He is. Why?”

“We bonded during training,” El said, unsure how to explain her relationship with Mike. “Can you take me to him?”

“Sure.” Nancy stepped out of the thick willows into sight. “But first I need to get food.”

El nodded and followed Nancy to the Cornucopia. She looked down at the bodies of Billy and Steve, both submerged in the river. Their blood flowed downstream from their arrow wounds, and their eyes were wide and empty. They were the first dead tributes she had laid eyes on, and to think, she killed them. One thing was for certain - she was no longer using the remain-hidden-for-as-long-as-possible tactic. She was a threat, and intended to stay one.

“Okay, follow me.” Nancy had a backpack on full of food and supplies. “I should thank you,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been able to get all this if you hadn’t killed them.”

El gave her a small smile in response, and her thoughts wandered as Nancy led the way to the nook. She was excited to see Mike again, but the inescapable reality that there could only be one victor made itself apparent once more. She realized that if it came down to the two of them, she would sacrifice herself if it meant he could live.

****

*** * * * ***

He was getting weaker with each passing moment. Before long, he would become another fallen tribute.

Jonathan became aware of the lump in his pocket. It was the rock Will gave him the day of the Reaping which was meant to give him luck. Will… If it wasn’t for Jonathan, he would have been a tribute, likely dead within the first day. The hunger was unbearable, but at least he had taken Will’s place, even if that meant dying a slow death.

A hand appeared in his vision offering a hunk of bread and he lifted his head. “I’m back.” Nancy set a filled water bottle and an orange in the grass beside him. She wore a hopeful smile. “I can’t stay, I’m sorry… I have to get back to my brother. Don’t eat it all at once, and good luck.”

He took the bread. “You didn’t have to - ”

“Yes I did. It was really brave of you to volunteer for your brother, Jonathan. We’re kind of in the same boat, you know. Doing everything we can do for our brothers.”

“Speaking of which.”

Jonathan looked up at El, who was clearly impatient. “Right…” Nancy muttered. “I wish I could stay.”

“You’ve done so much already. Your brother needs you,” Jonathan said.

“Goodbye then.”

****

*** * * * ***

The bloodbath at the Cornucopia replayed in Max’s head. The only two allies she made were gone. Who knew their deaths would be at the hands of the District 11 girl? Who knew her aim with that damn bow was nothing less than superb?

But Max was just as capable with knives. If she encountered El again, she would be ready.

She had climbed the landslide once more and was hiking through a thick part of the forest. Dead ahead, the sight of Lucas caught her by surprise. She unsheathed a knife and hurled it into his shoulder. He let out a cry of agony before running off. “You better run, stalker!”

She hoped he would bleed out, because if not, two knives would have been wasted on him. She sighed and took note of the quickly dying light. Soon it would be dark, and there was no telling what the gamemakers would unleash. Probably nothing, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

So she climbed a tree and used the rope from her backpack to tie herself to it. After nearly an hour, she was fast asleep.


End file.
